


Complicated

by thealphagate_archivist



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-16
Updated: 2006-03-16
Packaged: 2019-02-02 16:09:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12729864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thealphagate_archivist/pseuds/thealphagate_archivist
Summary: Love can be simple, but most of the time it's complicated.





	Complicated

**Author's Note:**

> Note from the archivists: this story was originally archived at [The Alpha Gate](https://fanlore.org/wiki/The_Alpha_Gate), a Stargate SG-1 archive, which began migration to the AO3 in 2017 when its hosting software, eFiction, was no longer receiving support. To preserve the archive, we began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in November 2017. We e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are this creator and it hasn't transferred to your AO3 account, please contact us using the e-mail address on [The Alpha Gate collection profile](https://archiveofourown.org/collections/thealphagate).

We used to laugh, we used to hug   
The way that old friends do   
But now a smile and a touch of your hand   
Just makes me come unglued   
-Daniel's POV 

Last stone tablet. He just needed a few more minutes to make some notes. Furiously scribbling in his notebook and he had it down. He pulled the camera up to his eye and snapped a picture. All preserved for him now. So much to learn, to study, and never enough time to do it right. Smooth stones with intricate hieroglyphs expanding from floor to ceiling. Cool to the touch as his fingers slid over the hard rock. His fingers traced delicately along the patterns, memorizing every cut, every smooth curve and sharp angle. So passionately carved for future generations to examine. A gift and reminder to the natives of this planet. 

He jumped a fraction of an inch as he felt a hand softly squeeze his neck, thumb moving in small circles at the base. "Time's up, Doctor Jackson. No more fondling of the artifacts." 

Daniel Jackson sighed and let his head lean forward, inviting those strong fingers to exert more pressure, to explore more skin. They did and for several minutes Daniel just let himself go. Let his breathing relax and thoughts drift far across the galaxy back to a living room couch and a demanding pair of lips. The image flickered in his brain then disappeared as did the ministrations to his aching neck. 

Daniel turned and gave a smile to the older man behind him. The little bit of sunshine that made its way inside the cavern allowed him to examine the Colonel's face, bathed in contrasting shadow and light. His two greatest loves in all the world before him now, archaeology and Jack O'Neill. He raised his hand, sweeping his fingers along pliant cheek and then solid jawbone. So many similarities between his two loves, sharp lines and soft curves. But where the stone and rock were cool and inanimate, Jack most certainly was not. The skin was warm and slightly stubbled. Muscles jumped beneath the caress as Jack's mouth twisted into a grin. His friend. His lover. His Colonel. His Jack. 

He could never actually pinpoint the time when Jack had become *his* Jack. He knew it was long before they had first admitted their love for each other. Jack was annoying, persistent to the point of stubborness, impatient, hard. But that was just scratching the surface. There were several nights when he and Jack had exchanged a quick embrace during those rare occasions when all was right in the world and they were far away from SGC. Lots of laughter and many nights of just kicking around Jack's place with pizza, beer, and hockey games. It became ritual and Daniel loved rituals. 

But at some point, those wonderful moments of relaxation gave way to much needed desires. A simple touch to his arm had made Daniel glow inside and out. Passing Jack in close quarters was a secret thrill, shoulders brushing for an instant. Pleasure and need lasting hours after that. But there were rules that needed to be followed. Jack was Air Force through and through. To say he was macho at times would be putting it mildly. So Daniel had backed away, afraid that if anything were discovered, it would be the end of one of the best things of his life. 

He remembered those long nights in Jack's house, sleeping on the couch after a few too many beers. He'd only developed a taste for it because of Jack. He'd lie there awake, taking in everything inside the house. All of Jack's possessions, from the table side lamp to the photo album of Charlie that was beneath the couch. He'd found that particular album one night after a very unnerving mission. Jack had been banged up pretty bad, sprained ankle and sore ribs. Luckily, Janet had let him go him with the strict instructions that Daniel was to be with him. Bed and rest, lots of mending time. Daniel had started to fidget no more than five minutes after Jack had fallen asleep in his bedroom. Then he'd dropped his glasses onto the floor trying to sit them on the coffee table. Upon finding them, he'd noticed a brown triangle jutting out from beneath the couch. 

Curiosity killed the archaeologist. He flipped open the pages and found pictures upon pictures of Jack and Charlie. A few pages down were pictures of him and Sarah. Pictures of a younger Jack, less silver in his hair than now. A happy Jack, a satisfied smile. He knew that smile, it had been on Jack's face several times. Especially on those nights when he and... 

"Daniel?" Jack's voice had floated to him from the hallway. 

`Damn!' Daniel had slammed the photo book closed. Bending over the couch, trying to shove it back in place, he came back up and struck his head on the table. "DAMN!" He looked up to see Jack watching him from the hall, arms folded across his chest. 

"I-uh-I can explain, Jack." Daniel put his glasses on shakily. "I dropped my glasses and I saw it sticking out from under..." 

"Daniel." 

Daniel looked up and frowned. "Jack?" 

Jack pushed away from the wall and walked over towards the couch. He gave Daniel's legs a push and sat down. He pulled the photo album back out and ran a hand over his face. "I wanted to pack this away but I just didn't have the heart to do it." 

He opened the front cover of the book and Daniel placed a hand on his arm. "Jack, I'm sorry. You don't have to..." 

Jack waved him off. "No, it's okay. You want to see pictures of my family, go ahead." He pointed out a few pictures of Charlie and him. "These were taken at the cabin. Charlie was only three then. A real handful, wanted to explore everything. That was the year he fell into the old boarded up cellar and broke his arm. Poor kid was stuck wearing a cast all summer long. No swimming. He was so upset." A small smile tugged at Jack's lips. Daniel had kept glancing at Jack all the way through the photo album with mixed emotions. Some times it looked like Jack would start crying, but he forced those tears down. Mr. Macho wouldn't let himself cry in front of one of his good friends. 

Jack closed the album. "That's all in the past, Daniel. As much as I don't want to remember it, I do. Not the past in the photos, but what happened after them. Sarah leaving me, Charlie's death..." He cleared his throat for a moment. "Reach under the couch and dig a little deeper." 

"Huh?" Daniel had sat there in wide eyed silence for a few moments. 

"Quite the linguist, aren't we? I said reach under the couch and dig a little deeper." 

Daniel did as told, his hands skimming over cool leather for a moment, then his fingers were tugging it out from its hiding place. His brow furrowed. "Another photo album?" 

"Yep. More pictures of my family. Who would have ever though Colonel `Hard Ass' O'Neill was a sentimentalist at heart?" Jack grinned at Daniel's smirk. "Yeah, Danny, I do know words with more than two syllables." 

Daniel opened the front cover and his eyes went wide in shock. A good picture of Jack, Sam, Teal'c and himself. Definitely taken off guard at Sam's house. Janet's idea at the picnic. 

He flipped farther in, finding all kinds of pictures. He didn't ever remember Jack having a camera in any of these. "When? Jack, I don't remember you taking these." 

"I have my ways. I was Black Ops remember?" 

It wasn't until Daniel hit the last page that he frowned. All pictures of him. In various stages of sleep. Jack's couch was prominently featured and a couple spots were off-planet. His jaw dropped open. "You took pictures of me when I was *sleeping*!?" 

Jack laughed whole-heartedly. "Awww. You looked so damn cute in the fetal position." Jack ducked as Daniel swatted him with a pillow. "Danny!" Whack! "Doc Frasier is gonna kill you if you make me..." Whack! "DANIEL! Ouch!" 

"Jack! Oh god, Jack!?" Whack! "Hey no fair!" 

Daniel swatted the pillow again and suddenly found himself flat on his back. He couldn't help the laugh that bubbled up. Then Jack was looming over him, having pinned Daniel's hands above his head. "You shouldn't treat family like this, Jack." 

"Nope, should treat them with kindness and compassion. And make sure you tell them everyday how much you love them." 

Daniel stopped laughing and looked at Jack. Jack smiled back. "I love you, Danny." 

Daniel couldn't breathe. He was coming unglued, finally hearing those words after so long. He watched nervously, gaze flickering from Jack's eyes to his lips. He wanted to lean up, but he couldn't. Didn't want to wake from this dream. Had to be a dream. Jack was sleeping in his room and he was asleep on the couch. Then Jack had leaned down and his lips had brushed so lightly against his... 

"Daniel! Yoo-hoo! Sam and Teal'c? We're suppose to rendezvous with them in like five minutes? You getting this?" Jack was staring uncertainly at Daniel. 

"Huh? Oh, yeah. I'm-uh-finished here. Let's go home." 

"Sounds good to me." Jack tilted Daniel's chin up for a quick kiss. "Time for you to role play, Danny." Jack was walking towards the cave opening now, his voice floating back to him in a distorted manner. "ET phone ho-o-o-o-o-o-me." 

Daniel rolled his eyes.

* * *

They say I'm more than just a friend   
They say I must be blind   
Well, I'll admit that I've seen you watch me   
From the corner of your eye   
-Jack's POV 

Pulsating waves of heat shimmered in the bright light of the afternoon sun. The air was dry and still, except for the sounds of their feet moving steadily through the sand. The sky was unmarked by clouds, just this white hot atmosphere that faded to a soft blue at the horizon. Blue, white, and tan. The landscape was colorless, lacking all the comforting primary and secondary colors of Earth. Another day, another planet P3X-something or other. Jack O'Neill was far from impressed. To be honest, he was downright agitated. 

Jack watched Daniel out of the corner of his eye as they climbed yet another sand dune. Daniel was so at ease in these kinds of surroundings. For a brief moment, Jack could picture the man as a young child on one of his first digs. Wide eyes would be sucking in all the sites, mouth parted in wonder and joy. And at nights by the small campfires, he would be reading Lawrence of Arabia or a book on Greek Mythology bound in dusty, aged leather. 

Jack had to smother the grin that threatened to claim his lips as he watched Daniel eyeing him in the same manner. Jack could hide the fact that he was watching Daniel. No one could tell with his sunglasses on. Danny was always painfully obvious. Jack had caught him staring several times, actually called him on it once or twice in the past. It had been annoying at first, before Jack realized his own feelings for Doctor Jackson. Now it was like an unspoken communication between the two. These silent, side-long glances were all a part of the game. I see you, do you see me? Can you tell how much I love you? How much I want you? Daniel was the master here. 

Jack hadn't paid much attention in the beginning. He really didn't quite know what to make of the sneaking glances from Daniel. He did know that it gave him a small thrill to think that maybe Daniel did have feelings for him. As much as he enjoyed the fantasy, there was reality to deal with. Military procedure would interfere and cost Jack his career at the SGC as well as Daniel's. Then there was the overall problem of "outing himself." Homosexuality was a hard topic to discuss with anyone. Even if he managed to make it known to only a few select people, who was to say they wouldn't end up resenting him for his sexual preference and get him booted anyway? 

Jack had made his decision, taking that leap was not worth all the problems that could arise. As much as he loved Daniel, he didn't want the younger man to lose his position on the team even if he did feel the same way. More than that, if Daniel didn't return those feelings, their friendship would take a definite downward spiral. 

They trudged onward through the miles of endless sand until they finally reached the Stargate. It had been uneventful mission for once and Jack was glad for that. So many missions had been going wrong lately, they all deserved this break. He couldn't wait to get back home, settle into the couch with a cold beer and a very hot Daniel. He stole another quick glance to the side, found Daniel doing the same, and smiled. Daniel looked good in red. Looked even better when that blush spread from his head to his toes. 

Jack turned just in time to see Sam smiling at them. She ducked her head and quickly looked away, blonde hair swinging across her face as she bent down to fuss with her bootlaces. He had her to thank for this... 

"So, who's playing tonight anyway, sir?" Sam asked as she followed Jack out of the infirmary from their checkup. 

"Devils and the Flyers. Should be interesting to watch." Jack shuffled along the corridor. His knees and back were killing him from having to crawl on that damn tunneled planet. Daniel and his damn curiosity. Touch a symbol, floor drops out from under you. He'd never been so glad to stand in all his life when they'd finally gotten out. 

"Daniel going to be there?" 

Jack stopped and turned to face her. "Well, it's a Saturday night, hockey is on, we're on stand down, so you tell me?" 

Sam smiled. "Kind of a dumb question, huh?" 

"Ya think?" Jack grinned and started towards his office again. He was a little startled when Sam followed him in, but he didn't say anything. He just took a seat at his desk and pulled out some of his neverending paperwork. He flipped through them, found himself becoming increasingly annoyed with Sam's presence. "Something on your mind?" 

"Actually, yes. There is something." She shuffled from foot to foot for a moment. "I'm not quite sure how to say this, so I'll be blunt and to the point." Sam took a deep breath in and closed her eyes, steadying herself. "WhenareyougonnatellDanielthatyourinlovewithhim?" 

Jack's face scrunched up and he frowned. "You wanna run that by me again? And maybe a little slower this time?" 

Sam threw her hands up in the air. "You. Daniel. Inseparable. If you're not in here," Sam gestured to Jack's office. "You're in Daniel's, or you're both in the mess hall, or walking the corridors of the SGC. Your days off are usually spent together. It's all painfully obvious, sir. Are you so blind that you can't see that he loves you just as much as you love him?" 

Jack's full attention was on Sam now. His eyebrows raised and there was a look of complete shock on his face. He sat quietly, letting the silence remain unbroken for several seconds. Jack then shook his head. "I don't know..." 

"What you're talking about. Yeah, I kind of figured you'd say that. Colonel, you may *think* you're the perfect Alpha-male specimen but it's not fooling me that your feelings are a lot more than friendly towards Daniel Jackson." Sam sighed and covered her eyes with one hand. "Okay, now that I've said everything I wanted to say, I'm leaving. I have things to get done. Paperwork and reports of my own ya know." She started for the door quickly. 

Jack sat stunned. How in the hell was he suppose to react to this? He felt strangely relieved that Sam knew, that she accepted it. He cleared his throat. "Sam?" 

Sam froze, her fingers sliding off the doorhandle. "Sir, I know it's your personal life and I have no right to say or interfere..." 

"Sam, shut up." Jack smiled at her shocked expression. "For once, just listen." He paused for effect. "Thank you." 

Sam smiled. "You're welcome, sir. Have a good night." 

Jack had indeed done that. Their first kiss had been that night. It was amazing. He'd found Daniel going through one of his old photo albums. He'd wanted to laugh at Daniel's expression at being caught in the act. They had gone through the album together, looking at all the pictures that usually made Jack sink into a depressing black void. But somehow, talking with Daniel about the past had made him feel better. He'd eventually worked up the courage to show him the other album, the one that held many pictures of just Daniel. They'd had a pillow fight. Then, Jack had kissed Daniel. Really kissed him. 

Kissing had led to touching. Sweet wonderful skin that seemed to jump beneath his fingertips. Lean muscle he never really thought he'd ever touch had been exposed. He'd worshiped him, payed homage to every god and goddess he could think of. Made a few up as he went along. He'd touched, tasted, breathed in, and absorbed Daniel. Afraid that if he didn't, it would all be nothing more than an erotic dream. 

Daniel hadn't passed up the opportunity either. He had found erogenous zones that Jack didn't know existed. There was this one particular spot, directly beneath his chin that Daniel had softly bit into. Jack had been reduced to jello, quivering and shaking gelatinous goo. He learned right away that Daniel's linguistic tongue could be very wicked. He'd traced Jack's lips, followed his jawline up to his ear. Then proceeded to delve inside, flicking the muscle seductively until Jack had been totally incoherent. All the while, Daniel's body was dancing beneath Jack's, pressing itself upward to slide against the colonel's. 

Jack could barely remember removing his or Daniel's clothes, but they had disappeared. Hot bodies had begun to grind together in passion, ripping moans and protests from their mouths as erections kissed and glided. Light sheen of sweat glistening on their bodies from the table-side lamp. It wasn't Jacks first choice to make love to Daniel on the couch, but they were so far into each other that it didn't matter. 

The sighs and moans coming from Daniel were like music to Jack's ears. They fueled him on, forced him to maintain a slow gentle rhythm for their first time. Fingernails dug into his back, leaving trails of fire in their wake, sending erotic signals to his groin, forcing air out of his lungs. He whispered Danny's name over and over, a prayer to his personal god. He got so much pleasure watching the blue eyes beneath him squinch close then open, filled with love and desire. They hadn't lasted long. Jack's orgasm had shaken him to the very core... 

Jack cut another glance to Daniel, who was watching him with a smile. Somehow, Daniel knew what he was thinking. The look was one filled with love and happiness. So open now to him, not hidden away like Danny's ancient artifacts. He walked closer to him, whispering something that made Daniel laugh out loud as he fussed with the DHD. 

"What's so funny?" Sam asked, walking over to them, leaving Teal'c to watch their backs for just a moment. 

Jack grinned. "Nothing, just making bets on tonight's hockey game is all." 

Daniel couldn't help but double over with laughter. Jack tried not to, but failed miserably. 

Sam smiled and walked away. Jack nearly fell out on his face at Sam's mumbled parting remark. "Men and their hockey sticks. Go figure."


End file.
